Once Was Blind
by Gemini Star01
Summary: When an arrsonist's fire robs T.K. of his sight, his friends and everyone around him seam to think that he can't do anything he used to. Kari's certain that isn't and will never be true, but can she convince him of that? CH 7 IS UP!
1. The Fire

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I read another fic like this one once…It was an AU, I think, because the DigiDestined had never met, but it still had the little twist that he was blind…It was a wonderful story, I forget who wrote it now, or even what it was called, but it was beautiful. So, after thinking about it for quite a while, I came up with this one, along those same lines but just…well, different…

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, never have and never will.

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Once Was Blind…

Chapter 1: The Fire

All was quiet in the computer room of Odiva Middle School. The sky was fading into the gentle orange of a sunset, the halls were empty and the trees outside the window were still green with new spring leaves.

With a flash and a few crumpled _oomph's_ the a pile of teenagers came flying out of a computer screen and landed hard on the tile floor.

"T.A., get offa my back!" Davis complained from the bottom of the pile.

"It's T._K_." the other boy corrected automatically. "And talk to Yolei, I'm pinned!"

"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Yolei muttered, as the group rocked and shook, trying to untangle themselves. "Kari, you've got your elbow in my stomach!"

"That's not me." Kari pulled out of the group and sat separate on the floor, trying not to laugh at her friends.

"Sorry. It's mine." Ken tried to readjust his arm but couldn't make it work. After several more minutes of struggling he and Cody pulled free at the same time, in different directions, and after that it was all a matter of helping Yolei up and letting T.K. get off of Davis.

"That's…painful, you know?" Davis muttered, popping a crick out of his back.

"Yes, but funny!" Upamon laughed, bouncing up to Cody excitedly. "You guys are so silly when you're all messed up!"

"Upamon, what have I told you about laughing at people?" Cody scolded, although he did still have the hint of smile on his face.

T.K. stood, straightening his hat, then felt compelled to move to the window. He opened it, leaning over the sill so he could stick his head out and taking a long, deep breath of the crisp spring air.

"Looks like we missed a rain." he noted, half to himself and half to the others. "Look, the leaves are still wet…and it smells fresh."

Kari came up beside him and took a deep whiff. "Mmm…You're right!" she sighed. "It smells beautiful!"

One by one the others drifted over, taking long breaths of the fresh air. They sat there a moment, enjoying it, then Davis noted the sun setting in the distance. "We better get home." he said, pointing. The others felt their stomachs growl and quickly agreed, packing their stuff up and departing.

T.K. lingered a moment, looking around the computer room. For some reason he'd been anxious that day, and it'd made everyone a bit nervous. Nothing had happened, but he did feel like something would…

Kari stuck her head back in. "T.K., Patamon, are you coming?"

"Yeah, just a sec." T.K. grinned, stuffed a yawning Patamon in his bag and started after her.

The group split up at the front gate. Kari and Davis went one way, walking Ken down to the train station before heading to their mutual building. T.K., Cody and Yolei started out together, but Yolei spilt off en route to her family shop and Cody had Kendo practice.

T.K. headed straight home, finally letting Patamon out of the bag. The Digimon popped up with a gasp. "Gah!" he spat out a ball of lint. "Why do you have to do that?"

"So people won't notice you." T.K. laughed, explaining it again.

"Can't I just drape my ears over your shoulders and you can pretend I'm your backpack?" Patamon complained, taking flight.

"You remember the cousin Suzie incident?" T.K. asked. "Take that times ten if we walked into a pack of kindergarteners!"

His mother suddenly stuck her head out of the kitchen and smiled. "T.K., you're home!" she exclaimed. "Just in time, honey. I was afraid you wouldn't be here when I headed to the store."

"Grocery shopping?" T.K. asked with a smile.

"Yeah…Went too long without it _again_…" Nancy sighed. "I'm turning into your father, always working so hard…"

She freshened her expression and looked at her son with a grin. "Do you need anything while I'm gone?"

"Nah." T.K. waved a hand down the hall and stifled a bit of a yawn. "I'm fine. I was just gonna go back and take a nap…"

"Alright, honey." Nancy pulled her purse over her shoulder, heading for the door. She paused a moment and kissed her boy on the forehead. "Have a good rest."

T.K. waved his mother out the door, then looked over at Patamon and grinned. "Are you gonna join me?"

"Nah." the orange Digimon yawned, curling up on the floor just to the side and up of the open living room window. "There's a nice sunbeam right here."

"Suit yourself." T.K. shrugged at his partner, then headed back for his own room.

No sooner was he curled under the covers with his eyes closed did something genuinely annoying happened. A van suddenly drove by his building, with a speaker blaring at top volume:

_"This is an announcement from your neighborhood safety committee…"_ it proclaimed, shaking him awake a moment. _"There has been an unusual rash of fires in the city today. Please be very careful, and do not leave any electric appliances running unattended. Thank you, and have a nice day."_

"Yeah, yeah…" T.K. muttered, closing his eyes again. "Thank you, Neighborhood Safety Committee. Have a nice day…"

After a moment he drifted off. Patamon was already fast asleep in his little sun beam, and the house was silent.

Nobody, not a soul, noticed as a stealth figure slipped silently up the fire escape like a cat, not making a noise. There was a milk bottle in one hand, a lighter in the other.

_"Ha!"_ the arsonist thought with a laugh. _"Right next to the fire escape, too! Not that it'll be any escape…"_

He flipped the lighter in full flame, putting it to the soaked rag sticking out of the milk bottle. It lit instantly, and flared up in a hand-held flame. He tossed it joyfully into the apartment, then hurried down the escape and away before anyone could notice him.

T.K., lying almost fast asleep on his bed, suddenly picked up an unusual smell. It was strange, but horribly familiar…

"Smoke?!" he gasped, sitting up. Indeed, he could see the black smoke slipping into his room through the cracks in the door. His first thought was not of his own safety, but that of his partner's. "Patamon!"

Without a single wild thought, he threw open the door into the blazing inferno. Everything from the living room to the hall to the kitchen was being eaten by orange flames, and smoke filled the air. But T.K. didn't care, he plunged into the blaze, looking for his partner desperately.

"Patamon!" he called, then coughed on the smoke. It burned his eyes until they teared, but still he wouldn't turn back. "Patamon, where are you? Patamon!"

"T…K…"

He spun around. The little orange Digimon was flying towards him, but bobbing up and down, stumbling because of the heat and smoke. "Patamon…" T.K. gasped, catching him. The creature immediately went limp in his arms. "Don't worry…I'll get us outta here…"

He cradled Patamon in one arm, lifting the other up to try and see through the smoke. About halfway through the living room, stepping as carefully as he could, he tripped over something and landed on the floor, sprawled out.

"Just…a little…further…" he muttered, trying to pull himself up even though his head was spinning. "A bit…more…"

He heard a crack from above him. Looking up, he saw a large bookshelf from the wall finally collapse from the fire. T.K. rolled just out of the way, and it splintered to the ground, sending sparks flying. Burning hot ashes and live coals splashed into the boy's eyes. He let out a cry, suddenly left in the dark. He felt around on his hands and knees, stuck his right wrist in a blaze, yanked it out with a yell, and grew so dizzy from the smoke he couldn't do anything more. He slumped to the ground, still clutching Patamon close, and begging someone to save them both.

~ * ~ * ~

Kari and Tai had been shopping when they saw the smoke from a fire. They ran to see where it was, and with a shock realized it was the building that the Takaishais, the Inues and the Hidas lived in.

"Yolei, Cody!" Kari cried, running up to her friends. "Are you guys okay?"

"We're fine…" Yolei sighed, assuring her friend with relief. "We were both out when it started, and it's only on one side."

Nancy Takaishai ran up to them, looking around wildly. "Kids, have you seen T.K.?"

"No, Ms. Takaishai." Cody shook his head. "Why? What's the matter?"

"I can't find him anywhere!" the mother was desperate. "I went out shopping, and when I came back the apartment was all on fire!"

"That's your apartment?!" the others all gasped. The apartments in this building had been fortified so that if one burned, it wouldn't effect the rest of the building , except for the rooms directly above, below or to the left and right of it, unless left unattended.

"I think…" the mother turned her eyes to the blaze. "I think he may still be inside!"

She rushed forward, trying to get back into the building, but two firemen held her back. "You can't go in there, I'm afraid." one of them said. "It's starting to get out of hand."

"You have to let me go!" Ms. Takaishai cried. "My son is still in there!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but you can't." the other fireman said. "It's much too dangerous."

Tai looked up at the blazing building. The fire escape was almost untouched, and lead straight up to an open window. Before anyone could stop him, Tai had raced forward and scaled the escape.

"Tai!" Kari exclaimed. "What're you doing?!"

The answer was obvious to all of them: Getting their friend.

Tai pulled his winter scarf up over his mouth and nose, then dove head-first into the already-splintering glass of the sliding door. He stumbled into the fire and looked wildly around. "T.K.!" he called. "Can you hear me? Come on buddy, say something!"

"Here…We're here…"

Tai spun around. T.K. had managed to regain consciousness for just a moment, but the darkness still covered his eyes. However, he could still hear Tai's shouts and footsteps in the darkened ash. With a low, wounded voice, he managed to croak out his calls for help, sprawled out on the burning rug in the center of the living room.

"T.K.!" Tai gasped again, diving forward. He smothered the few small flames that had begun on T.K.'s clothes, then lifted the younger boy up and draped him over his back, carrying Patamon in his arms. "Just hang on, kid, I'll get you outta here. I promise…"

The kids, firemen and Ms. Takaishai stood clear of the burning building. They'd watched Tai disappeared into window of the apartment minutes earlier, and now they waited anxiously for any sign of motion.

"I'm going to be frank with you people…" one of the firefighters said in a low voice. "Those boys ain't got much chance of gettin' outta there alive."

"Would you shut up?!" Yolei yelled at him. "We've got a mother out here, you idiot, you don't need to…"

"Wait a sec!" Cody exclaimed suddenly. "Look there!"

Kari squinted at the dark figure coming out of the flame. "It's Tai!" she gasped. "And he's got T.K. with him!"

Tai managed to stumble down the escape, where the ambulance workers were ready to move the other boy to a stretcher. The others ran to him. "Are you okay?" Cody asked, out of breath.

"I'm fine." Tai gave a bit of a grin, although he did have a rather bad burn on his left shoulder. "It's…T.K., I'm worried about."

Ms. Takaishai was already at her son's side as the stretcher was being loaded into the back of the ambulance. He was only half-conscious, feeling around weakly like he was in a dark room. It was no surprise, you could tell by a quick look that his face had been badly burned.

"Mom…" he muttered, like a sleepwalker, groping for her hand. "Mom…"

"I'm here, honey." she whispered, holding his hand. "Don't worry, I'm here."

"Where…where's Patamon?" he asked, with the last energy he had left.

"I've got him." Tai called over. Patamon was already stirring, the Digimon's fast-healing gene working well, as usual. Tai handed the Digimon to his partner, letting him feel the soft fur. T.K. gave a bit of a smile, then he fainted from the pain.

Kari held her breath, watching the ambulance speed away. Tai's burn was being attended to, so she looked to him. "Will he be alright?"

"Don't worry." her brother assured her. "He'll be fine."


	2. Darkness

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Yes, yes, that's the one! Azn Angel's story was what inspired this! Don't worry though, this one's been changed so it's all mine! And, in response to ArchAngemon's request… My muse never stays put, she just runs in every now and then, eats all my pudding, gives me some story to make me happy, then disappears again. Weird, huh?

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, never have, never will.

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Once Was Blind…

Chapter 2: Darkness

Tai, Kari, Cody and Yolei burst into the hospital waiting room an hour later, breathing hard. A nurse looked up. "Can I help you?"

"Our friend was just brought here." Cody panted. "He was hurt in a fire, we'd like to see him."

The nurse was very stuffy, checking her lists with a huff. "Yes, there was a young man brought in here a little while ago." she sniffed. "A Mr. Takaishai…But, I'm afraid it's a family-only situation at this moment."

"But Miss!" Kari gasped.

"I'm sorry, but that's how ER works." the girl put the forms away haughtily.

"But we have to get in there!" Tai insisted.

A familiar voice suddenly sounded from behind the nurse: "Tai? Kari?"

The kids looked up. A blue-haired person, older than them but younger than most doctors, stood next to the desk in a white coat, holding a clipboard in his left hand. He wore glasses, pushing them up his nose.

"Joe!" Yolei exclaimed. "What're you doing here?"

"This is where I have my internship, remember?" the med student looked between the four kids. "You guys are here to see T.K., right?"

"That's right!" Kari leaned forward. "But they won't let us in! Is he…?"

"He's fine." Joe laughed reassuringly. "In fact, he just woke up. Come on, he'll be glad you're here."

Kari and the others grinned at each other excitedly, and quickly followed after him. Yolei stuck her tongue out at the receptionist, then hurried after the others.

Joe stopped in front of the door numbered 132. He put his hand on the knob and turned back to the others. "His mom's already in there." his faces wore a look of deep concentration. "I've gotta warn you, he won't be able to tell who you are just by looking at you."

"Why not?" Tai asked.

"He sustained several burns to parts of his face." Joe muttered, then opened the door.

T.K.'s bed had been adjusted so that he was sitting up-right, talking to his mother. His right arm was in a sling so he wouldn't move it, wrapped tightly in white bandages. And his eyes and the top half of his head was wrapped completely in the same white gauze, his ears being the only thing above his nose unwrapped, although there were a few large tuffs of blonde hair sticking up out of the top. Patamon was curled up beside his partner, fast asleep.

"T.K.…Ms. Takaishai." Joe called. "You've got some more visitors."

Both turned. "Oh, hello, kids." Nancy said, smiling with relief.

"Hey. Who's there?" T.K. seamed alright, all things considering, and he was actually smiling.

"Uh…" Joe glanced back at the others. "Tai, Kari, Yolei and Cody. Yeah, I think that's it."

"Are you okay, T.K.?" Kari asked, moving forward. "You look awful."

"I can't see, and I'm not allowed to move this arm, but hey, I'm still in one piece, so I'm not complaining." T.K. finished his sentence with a laugh, but a bit of a forced one, obviously meaning that he was just thankful to be alive at this point.

But the laughter felt good. It spread from T.K. to Kari, and from Kari to Tai, and from there it spread to everyone in the room, making them all feel better about the whole thing.

Soon the group was gathered around the bed, all talking and telling jokes and laughing at how bad the jokes were. About five minutes later, they heard running footsteps and the door burst open.

"I came…as soon as I heard…" the figure panted, brushing his blonde hair back.

"I'd know that voice anywhere." T.K. laughed, looking up without looking up. "Hey Matt."

His brother stood there a moment, then hurried over. The others spilt off and let him through to the bedside. "Good Lord…T.K., you look…"

"Awful?" T.K. finished, still smiling. "Yeah, I get that a lot. But it's okay, really. The bandages will be off soon, then everything'll be back to normal."

Matt turned to Joe. "How long?" he asked in an undertone. "How long is it gonna take?"

"He'll have to stay here about a week or so, until the burns heal." Joe shrugged. "Then there's just some preliminary tests to finish so we're sure he can still use that arm, and he'll be free to go."

"Just a week…" Nancy sighed. "Thank goodness."

Joe glanced up at the clock, then hit his head so hard he nearly knocked himself out. "Oh, dagnamit, look at the time!" he exclaimed. "Guys, I'm sorry, but visiting time is over for the day. You'll all have to leave."

A group of groans and 'aw, man's came from the group, but they separated from the bed and began to leave. Ms. Takaishai leaned over and kissed her son on the forehead. "Sleep well, sweetie." she whispered.

T.K. nodded, then looked around. "Hey, Tai?" he called, hoping his friend was still there.

"Yeah?" Tai turned back. He had almost reached the door with his sister, but paused a moment at the younger boy's call.

"Before you go…I wanna thank you." T.K. was smiling a bit sheepishly, the same way he always had looking up to Tai during their original trip in the Digital World. "You saved my life."

"Aw…" Tai rubbed the back of his head, modestly, for once. "I didn't really do anything…"

"Sure you did." T.K. leaned back against the bed. "If you hadn't gone in and gotten me, I never would've gotten outta there. So…thanks."

Tai smiled. "No prob, pal." he whispered. "No prob."

~ * ~ * ~

As Joe promised, T.K. was scheduled in the hospital for a week. He had visitors every day, spanning from one or two of the DigiDestined to the whole 12-person group. Even Mimi came along, even if it was only by transmission via the Digiport. Sora provided some rather lovely and good-smelling flowers for the room, knowing he couldn't see them but could at least get the smell of antibacterial out of his nose.

The most common visitors, of course, were Matt and the younger DigiDestined. And to everyone's surprise, the one most likely to be there first was Davis. He had a really good nature about this kind of thing, and would often try cheering the patent up with his own hilarious renditions of the day-to-day school life. The more those two talked, the more they looked like old friends than 'romantic rivals' as the whole school had them labeled.

Ms. Takaishai, of course, who always worked so hard, took several days off work just to sit by her son's bedside. Kari, too, was also a frequent visitor.

"T.K.…" she asked about six days into the week, when it was just herself, the patient and Davis actually in the room. "What's the first thing you wanna do when you get out of this stuffy place?"

"Eat some real food, I'm guessing." Davis laughed, having bad memories of the meals from an appendicitis incident two years earlier. "The stuff's worse than cafeteria food!"

"Can't be as bad as my mom's stuff." Kari laughed a bit, and T.K. cracked up too.

The patient sighed, feeling around for his Digivice. "You know what I really want to do?" he said in a dreamy whispered. "When I get these bandages off, I'm gonna go straight to Primary Village, just to see all the colors. I mean…you have no idea how much you miss those bright colors until you're stuck in darkness for a week."

Ms. Takaishai sighed from the doorway, glad to see her son happy. Someone tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around to find Joe, a deep look of concentration on his face.

"Oh, hello, Joe." she said, a bit excited about whatever news he might have.

But the intern just sighed. "Ms. Takaishai…can I talk to you privately a moment?"

The mother blinked, but nodded. Joe pulled her into a small, empty room across the hall. There was a bit of silence, finally, he sighed, brushing back his hair. "Ms Takaishai…I really don't know how to tell you this…"

"What?" she gasped. "Is…Is something wrong? With T.K.?"

"I'm…afraid so…" he pulled a picture out of his folder. Nancy couldn't tell what it was, but he was examining it closely. "We took an X-ray of his burns…Don't worry, they're healing just fine, but…"

"But…?"

"But…there was serious damage to the lenses and retinas of his eyes that we didn't see before…" he let out a guilty sigh. "Even if we did, though, there's nothing we can do about it…"

"About what?" the mother exclaimed, stepping forward. "What can't you fix?!"

"Ms. Takaishai…" Joe took it very slowly. "The damage to his eyes is…it's irreversible…There's nothing we can do…Unless someone develops some miraculous new technique in the next year or so…I'm afraid he'll never see again."

Nancy clapped her hands over her mouth to keep from crying. She glanced back through the door, into the room of her son, still laughing with his friends. He wanted the colors…He wanted to see all those beautiful flowers that surrounded him…he wanted so badly to see again…but he never would, not anymore.

She put a hand to her heart. "When should I tell him?" she gasped.

"The bandages come off tomorrow." Joe sighed. "It's your choice of when."

~ * ~ * ~

"Honey…T.K., honey, wake up."

The boy stirred, reaching for his mother's hand in the darkness. "Hi mom." he smiled. "What's up?"

He heard his mother take a deep, deep breath. "I've got some good news, dear… but I've also got some…bad news."

"Okay, then." T.K. thought a moment. "What's the good news?"

"Well…" she hesitated. "…Your bandages come off today."

"Really?!" T.K. sat suddenly up, excited. He was so sick of the darkness, and it was almost over. "All right! When?!"

"That's the bad news…" his mother's voice grew quiet, scared. "They're already off."

T.K. froze a moment, the his hands groped up around his eyes. It was true, the cloth bandages were gone, he couldn't feel a thing. But this was wrong…

"Mom…" he gasped hoarsely, suddenly dizzy from the shock. "Mom…I can't _see_! I can't _see_!"

"I know, honey." she put her hands on his shoulders, steadying him. "I know…"

She moved to sitting on the bed, and caressed her son gently, running her fingers through his hair as she explained everything. T.K. sat there in shock as he heard the medical story, and his mind was filled with the images of the burning house…the last thing he'd ever seen, that horrible sight of the sparks flying into his exposed eyes. And through it all, his fractured mind kept repeating one thing over and over:

_"I'm blind…"_ his brain sobbed, unbelieving. _"I'm blind…I'm blind…I'm blind…"_


	3. The Black Glasses

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Argh…I hate it when people put that kind of pressure on me. I don't mind ideas and suggestions, or people yell 'GET IT OUT ALREADY!!!' but I really hate it when people say 'make it your own and do this'. If its your idea, why would it make it my own? Argh…

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. You think I do? You're wrong.

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Once Was Blind…

Chapter 3: The Black Glasses

"Hey Kari!"

The girl turned. Davis was running up to her, all smiles. But it was Monday so it wasn't exactly the time of day you'd expect him to be that excited.

"Hey Davis." she smiled as he ran up to her. "What's up? Why so happy?"

"Didn't you hear?" he panted, reaching her side. "T.J.'s back in school today!"

"Really?!" Kari gasped, not even noticing that he'd gotten their friend's name wrong on purpose yet again. "Is he here yet?!"

There was a big reason to be so excited. T.K. had been released from the hospital the week before, but he'd had to keep going back for some sort of rehab. This wasn't so bad, but for some reason he'd been hiding the whole time. They didn't even know where his new apartment was located, he hadn't wanted any visitors at all. There'd been phone calls, sure, but none of them had seen him, or tried to ask about it over the phone.

Kari started to run, to search around the schoolyard, but Davis grabbed her by the arm. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "What're you doing?"

"I've already checked." Davis sighed. "I don't think he's arrived yet. We really should wait by the front gates."

Kari stared. Davis had defiantly gotten…well, smarter, in the past year since MaloMyotismon. More strategically that academically, sure, but it was something through his thick skull.

"You've been hanging out with Ken too much." Kari muttered, but followed after and took a seat on a large rock by the school gates. Davis sat on the grass, cross-legged, next to her.

"Speaking of Ken, is he coming today?" Davis asked, not taking his eyes the gates.

"You mean to the Digital World?" Kari tried to keep up conversation. "Yeah, I think he is."

"Good." Davis sighed. "It's been a while since we've all gotten together for a nice, normal trip."

"'Normal'?" Kari laughed. "Our lives are never normal."

The bell rang. Both kids looked up and around. T.K. was no where in sight. "Is…Is he…" Kari asked, looking around. "Did he…sneak in past us?"

"Why would he?" Davis asked. "First day back…why would he not stop to talk to us?"

"Maybe…" Kari thought a moment. "Maybe, since it _is_ his first day back, he had to go talk to the principal about his makeup work! Yeah, and then he went straight to class, he got here before we did!"

"I guess that makes sense…" Davis agreed checking his watch. "But we better hurry, or we'll be late!"

Just as they crossed into the classroom, they saw a welcome sight: T.K. was sitting in his normal desk, staring down at the table top in thought. "T.K.!" Kari cheered, coming to him.

Their friend looked up. Both Kari and Davis were surprised when, instead of shining blue eyes, they were looking at a pair of black glasses that hid those pools of color completely. But his face smiled, despite strange head gear. "Hi guys." he grinned. "What's up?"

"Hi T.K." Kari sighed, happy to see him. "We were just looking for you."

"What's with the glasses, T.A.?" Davis asked laughingly. "They're a little dark, aren't they?"

T.K. adjusted the glasses a bit self-consciously. "Well…" he admitted. "They are kinda dark, I guess…"

Before their conversation could go further, the teacher entered and they had to scrambled to their seats. The slick-brown-haired head of their 9th grade teacher entered in, looking pleased.

"Good morning, everyone." he said cheerily.

"Good morning, sensei." the class chorused.

"You sound cheery…" he looked among them. "But I'm afraid none of you are going to like this very much. We're having a pop quiz!"

A group of moans rose up from the class. T.K. gulped, not that anyone noticed. "Now now, don't fuss." the teacher began handing out the papers. "You all know the material! Including you, Mr. Takaishai, with all the make-up work I've been sending! You may all begin as soon as you get the assignment."

Soon the room was filled with the noise of pens on paper. Kari quickly answered the first question, a history problem, easy as cake. She looked up at T.K., wondering how he was doing, since he was never very good at history, and was a bit surprised when she saw him.

He was feeling the page with his hand, head bent like trying to read something in the dark. But there was no way he could have seen anything, his hand was covering it up! His face looked anxious, somehow, feeling the flat surface.

Finally, he raised his hand. "Mr. Namura?" he called in the quiet of the classroom. "I…can't read this test…"

Mr. Namura looked up, annoyed. "Is it smeared, Mr. Takaishai?" he asked curtly.

"No sir." T.K. muttered quietly. "But I…"

"Then why can't you read it, Mr. Takaishai?"

"Because I…" the boy stuttered. "…I _can't_!"

All eyes were on them now. T.K. was always such a well-behaved student, sitting quietly and only disturbing the class if needed. He'd never try to whittle out of a test like _that_.

Mr. Namura narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps is you took of those glasses, you could see to read the paper, Mr. Takaishai."

T.K. stiffed. "N-No, sir…"

"Take them off, Mr. Takaishai."

"B-But sir…"

"_Take them off, Mr. Takaishai!_"

T.K. sighed, defeated, and silently removed the glasses from his eyes. When he looked up, everyone in the room gasped in either horror, surprise, or a combination of the two.

They all remembered his eyes had been blue, but now they…They were murky and foggy, completely void of life. Even the pupils themselves were missing from those haunting blue pits. They didn't look like eyes anymore, just…disks…

"Oh my gosh…" Davis muttered under his breath.

"T…K…?" Kari whispered, shocked.

Mr. Namura froze a moment, then nodded in thought. "Ah…I see…" he muttered under his breath. "The Principal warned me about this, but I'd forgotten…" he looked up. "Bring your test, Mr. Takaishai, I'll write you a pass."

Slowly, uncertainly, T.K. rose from his desk. He picked up something no one had noticed, because he'd hidden it with his legs: a short gray cane, just tall enough to hit the ground when he held it at an angle, as he did now. It moved automatically back and forth in his hand, guiding his way past the objects in the room.

Mr. Namura handed him the yellow slip of paper. "Go down to the office." he instructed. "We don't have the tools at the moment to help you do the work by yourself, so the secretary has arranged to read your tests orally for you to answer. You'll still be in this room for lectures, but your classmates will have to help you with schoolwork papers. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir." T.K. whispered quietly. He moved out of the room slowly, not making eye contact with anyone, not that it would have mattered.

Kari took a deep breath and glanced back at Davis, who was just as stupefied as she was. Both of them thought the same thing when they locked eyes: _"T.K. is…Blind?"_

~ * ~ * ~

"Hey guys." T.K. sighed, entering the computer room, all smiles after a long day. "How's it going?"

"Oh…" Yolei sounded nervous, gulping like he'd entered in on something they didn't want him to hear. "Hi, T.K.…"

T.K.'s head turned, a natural reaction when he felt like something was wrong, a desire to glance at each one in the room. "What is it?" he asked cautiously. "What's going on?"

Ken took a deep breath, and for a moment there was silence before T.K. heard his chair slide back. "T.K.…Listen…" he said slowly, shifting his weight nervously. "There's…something we need to talk about."

"Okay, what?" T.K. asked questioningly.

"T.K.…" Cody sighed, also standing. "We…We don't think you should…go to the Digital World for a while. We…We'd like you to stay here, in the Real World."

T.K. stiffened, throat tightening. "W-What?" he croaked out.

"Please try to understand, T.K." Kari urged gently, touching his hand. "It's just that…if you can't…can't _see_ the dangers in the Digital World, how could you make it out alive? Even when its quiet, there could still be a grumpy Digimon or two lurking around…It's too dangerous."

T.K. gulped a few times, trying to control himself, and pulled his hand away from hers. "Y-Yeah…" he forced out, though it wasn't what he wanted to say at all. "I guess… Y-You're right…I'll just…head home, then…"

He turned away from them and left the room, Patamon following quickly after him. Davis stared out the door a moment, watching him go. "Do you think…he took it the wrong way?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know…" Kari whispered. "I just…don't know anymore…"


	4. Mistaken Identity

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Well, now that summer here I should have time to be writing more fics, right? Actually… Besides all the different Digimon stories I'm doing, and my Sailor Moon Otaku Senshi website, and the million other things I do, I've also got a new passion now. Yu Yu Hakusho! *cuddles Kurama plushy* giggle…I've gotta have something to think about besides Digimon, now don't I?

This chapter is lame. L. A. M. E. I've been having problems with it. If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, never have, never will. 

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Once Was Blind…

Chapter 4: Mistaken Identity

Ms. Takaishai heard her son enter the new apartment, but he never so much as called to say he was home. He was much earlier than he should have been, why, he'd been looking forward to going back to that Digital World place with the others all week!

She checked the hallway. Yes, his shoes were right there, neat in the little row. She came to his bedroom door and knocked on it, quietly. "T.K.? Honey? Are you in there?"

There was no direct answer, but she could hear a few muffled sobs on the other side that he probably hadn't wanted her to hear. She considered this permission to let herself in, and found him lying stretched out on the bed, face buried in his pillow and black glasses hanging out of his hand.

She came to his side and knelt by the bed. "T.K., sweetie…" she cooed down, soft and gentle to sooth him. "What's the matter? Is something wrong?" No answer, just a pause in the sobs. "You're home early. I thought you were going to that Digital World place with your friends…"

"They wouldn't let me." he croaked, face still buried.

Nancy was startled. "What?" she asked, leaning down to hear him better. "What did you say?"

"They wouldn't let me go." T.K. sniffed, turning on his side. The sightless blue eyes were rubbed red, filling with tears that occasionally escaped down his cheeks. "Davis and the others…they wouldn't let me go."

Nancy gently lifted him up by the shoulders so that he was sitting next to her on the bed. He continued to cry quietly, giving her the story. "They made me stay here…" he whispered to her. "They said it was too dangerous…Why can't they just tell me the truth?"

"Truth?" Nancy whispered. "What do you mean, truth? They wouldn't lie to you…"

"They probably thought I'd still go if they told me." he gulped. "They could've just said it…Without my eyes, I'm useless…"

"Now, T.K., don't you ever say that!" Nancy snapped, "You're no different, and you never will be! You're still the same wonderful person you always were."

T.K.'s head dropped, and the dark look on his face made it obvious that he didn't believe a word she was saying. Nancy brushed the hair back from his forehead and kissed it gently.

"Don't you worry, sweetheart." she whispered to him, running her fingers through his hair like she had when he used to run to her with nightmares back years ago. "I still love you, and so do your friends. They're only worried about you…They just don't know how to help."

T.K. nodded half-heartedly. Nancy smiled, standing. "I'll tell you what. How 'bout I call Matt and have him come over for dinner tonight?"

T.K. smiled a bit. "Could we have goulash?"

"Sure thing!" 

~ * ~ * ~

Kari hurried through the half-empty halls, looking for T.K. He hadn't been near the computer room all week, and he never talked to the others, always getting to school too late and leaving too early for them to find him.

She spotted him out the window, making his way down the path to the school's front gates. She hurried down after him, sliding past the gates just as he went around the corner. "T.K.!" she called, running after him. "Wait up! T.K.!"

He didn't stop, didn't turn, didn't even act like he heard her, except for the fact that he went slightly rigid at the first note and seamed to pick up the pace. "Stop ignoring me!"

T.K. felt himself be yanked around by one arm, and although he couldn't see her, he could hear her breathing just in front of him. She'd spun him around to look her as close as in the eye as possible.

"…Kari…" he muttered quietly. "Let go."

"No." she snapped. "Not until you talk to me."

"Whattya want to talk to me for?"

"What for? T.K., you're my friend!" Kari exclaimed, amazed that he'd ask her that. "You've been avoiding us all, and we're worried about you."

"I'm not avoiding you." he sighed, shifting like he was about to make a break for it.

"Yes you are!" Kari insisted. "None of us have seen you all week long, you won't talk to us in class…and you're trying to run from me right now!"

"So what if I am?" T.K.'s ears were turning red with a kind of contained rage. "It's not like you guys want me around…"

"Of course we do!" Kari cried. He _had_ taken it the wrong way! Why couldn't he see? "It's just that…"

"I know, I know, you're 'worried' about my safety." T.K.'s voice was uncharacteristically mean. "Is that why you've pushed me out of the group?"

"We'd never do that!" Kari exclaimed, feeling the tears prick up in the corners of her eyes. He pushed away from her, stomping back down the street. "T.K., wait! Please!"

"Just leave me alone!" he snapped. He could hear the shakiness in her voice and it hurt, partially from anger and partially from guilt, but he couldn't take it anymore. "Just go away, go hang out with Davis or something!"

Kari stared after him a moment, then anger and sadness collided. "I guess…I was wrong!" she shouted at his back as the tears came streaming down her cheeks. "You really _have_ changed!"

She spun on her heels and ran away, sobbing as she went. T.K. had stopped, hands clutched to his sides and head cast downward. "Damn…" he whispered viciously to himself. "Now you've done it. She'll never talk to you again."

Slowly, carefully, he began back down the street as a tear dropped to the sidewalk from his sightless eye.

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Okay. Lame chapter. I need a bit of help here…what should I do next?! What?! Review, e-mail, whatever, just HELP!!!!


	5. The Offer

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I've gotten a lot of reviews saying that I can do better than I have been. Well, let me tell you, my mind knows you're right, but for some reason the rest of me doesn't agree. My last chapter sucked and I know it. But lately my heart has been in other things and this story…as well as Lost…have both been a bit 'dead in the water'. Grass is Greener will probably be done by the time I get this chapter out… and the other on-going Digimon fics are having trouble piecing themselves together. It's frustrating having these ideas…and not being able to work on them…and then reading slightly disappointed reviews…it's rough guys. But bare with me, okay?

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Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. However, thanks to everyone who gave me the best ideas I've heard! This is great! On with the fic!

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Once Was Blind…

Chapter 5: The Offer

T.K. sat dejectedly on a wooden bench inside the almost completely empty park. He heard birds singing in the trees, the water making slow ripples in the lake, and the leaves falling onto the sidewalk. He smelled fresh grass, and could feel the wind gently caress his body, stroking his cheeks like a lover. But he felt cold, deep inside, and his heart ached.

He clutched the short staff in front of him, tapping it against the wood of the bench. It was fall, and the leaves were changing colors, he knew they were. But he couldn't see them…All he saw was darkness…

It had been a week since Kari had yelled at him, and ever since that day not a single one of the other DigiDestined had even given him a second look. They all regarded him with the same cold silences, moving away in the halls when he got close, as though they were afraid he would snap out at them, too.

The only people who paid any attention at all to him were his mother, and Matt. His oni-san came almost daily to visit him, talk to him, make sure he had _some_ kind of interaction. But even their meetings were tensed…the older DigiDestined knew nothing of the younger's spats, so the night before T.K. had bared his heart, then spent an hour sobbing into his brother's shoulder. Matt had left the apartment in such a rage that night T.K. was a bit worried he might hurt someone.

He heard footsteps come closer, but ignored them, figuring they'd just walk on past. A moment later he felt the bench next to him shift, and the breathing of someone next to him.

"What's the matter, kid?" an unfamiliar voice asked, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

He turned, out of instinct, and frowned. Even the scent was unfamiliar. "Who are you?"

"Just a friend." the man next to him shrugged. "What's ailing you?"

"Nothing…" T.K. muttered, turning back to look at the ground.

"It sure seams like more than nothing." the man's voice grew alluringly sweet. His hand reached up to touch his dark glasses. "The problem is these awful glasses, isn't it?"

"It's not the glasses." the boy snapped, pulling his head away. "It's the eyes behind them."

"Oh…is that so?" the eyes snatched his glasses away. T.K. grabbed for them, but the man seized him by the chin, turning his head up. "My my…that _is_ a problem, isn't it?"

"Shut up." T.K. pulled away from him. "I don't even know you. Just shut up and go away."

"Such harsh words…" the man clicked his tongue. "What if I told you that I could fix your little predicament?"

"Impossible."

"Really?" T.K. felt the man's hand slip over his eyes, rubbing something hard and grainy against instantly-closed lids. He removed them a second later, and T.K. opened his eyes.

Wait a second…he opened his eyes. _And he could see!_

His mouth fell open and he gaped around him, taking in all of the sights he could. The trees, all flaming reds and oranges and golds, the grass, such a dark green, giving way to brown in some hidden spots, the sky was so blue, and it was there were only a few puffy white clouds floating past in it.

He turned to the man beside him, but his vision began to blur once more. The only thing he could tell now was that his companion was dressed in black, but he could not see his face.

"That particular cure is only temporary." the enthralling voice came again, brushing a hand along the back of his neck. "But I do have a way to make it permanent… but you must agree to do something for _me_ first…" 

"Anything!" T.K. exclaimed, grabbing his hand. The last bit of light faded away, leaving him in the darkness once more. "Please, please, I'll do _anything _ you want me too! Just give me my eyes back, please!"

The man gave a low chuckle, reaching for something around T.K.'s waist. For a moment the boy heard a familiar high-pitched beeping, then felt the air around him change slightly, as though someone had disrupted the way the air flowed, like blocking the filter in a swimming pool.

The man took him by the wrist and pressed something into his hand. He felt the familiar cold, hard plastic cover of his D-3 and folded his fingers around it. The man put both his hands around T.K.'s one, fingers slipping between his hand and the Digivice.

The device grew hot, hot enough that T.K .wasn't sure if he could hold it much longer. Then it seamed to melt down, to a near-liquid state, and the man slipped it out of his hand. He lead the partially-molten device to his arm, wrapped it around his wrist, and began to mold it around in a new shape, a new kind of machine all together…

Then he took a bit of it out of it, rolling it into a ball and pressing it against T.K.'s temple. The Digivice on his arm had already hardened, and this new bit was almost dry by the time the man ran his hand along his eyelids.

Information flooded T.K.'s mind, and he slowly realized exactly who his companion was…no human, but a Digimon, with the powers to do such things…but for some reason, he didn't care…

His companion seamed to be a young man, barely ten years older than he was. His hair was short and black, and his eyes were blue, but such a dark blue that they were almost black. His skin was pale, and he was dressed from head to toe in black.

As for where they were…well, it was clearly the Digital World, as it could never have existed in the Real World. The area around them was completely black, like a cave that sparkled with gems and diamonds of such brilliant colors that they looked more like rhinestones than actual gems, and they shown as though light bulbs were inside of them, like something at a theme park.

"Does it satisfy you?" the man asked. T.K. looked around, smiling at everything. "I can see it does…" the man smiled.

He reached over and took the boy's hand up once more. He tapped the plastic around his wrist, which had turned a hard black and now resembled a plastic sports-watch.

"This is what I call a D-X." he smiled. "It's bi-directionally connected to this piece here." he touched the small piece of metal on his forehead. "Now no one can see this thing but you and me. It projects a very low-frequency wavelength that covers your eyes and has regained your sight…Always keep the D-X on, an hidden. No one should know about it but you."

T.K. examined the D-X in curiosity, then looked up. "This…D-X…" he muttered. "Is it still…?"

"It still has all its normal Digivice functions." the man nodded. "You'll be able to travel freely between your world and the Digital World, and you little friend will still be able to Digivolve. But he is the _only_ one to know what we have been doing. Agreed?"

T.K. nodded. Patamon had always said he would trust him, no matter what choice he made, but the others would condone him for making a deal like this. They didn't understand…they couldn't understand what it was like to be locked in perpetual darkness, knowing there were things out there to see but never being able to see them.

"One more thing." the man mention. "In this world, you'll be able to freely walk around full-sighted. But in the Real World, you will still have to wear those glasses. That is…unless you want people to find out about _this_."

He held up a mirror. T.K. gazed into it, eyes widening slightly. They were no longer that bright sky-blue, rather, they were pure, blood red. The pupils were still missing, but he could see, and that was all that mattered to him now. 

"Fine." he said, voice oddly dark and haunting, changed by the air. "I don't mind. Glasses are nothing for sight."

"Wonderful!" the man's smile widened and sent shivers down the boy's back. "Now…For our deal…"

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Heh heh…cliff hanger.

I'm much happier with this chapter!! ^_^ Give me ideas, and please tell me if you like it!

Ja ne!

~GS


	6. Tenshi no Kuro

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I am TRYING to update these…I really am…I want to finish some of my Digimon fics…but see, I'm kinda depressed…and it's hard to write when I'm depressed…it's really, really hard…

The Grass Is Greener, this story and Healer's Touch will most definitely be completed. A Feudal Fairy Tale and House Mates will be updated very, very slowly, and may someday be taken down. Lost is still on hiatus, but will be finished. I promise.

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Disclaimer: Sure, I own Digimon. Oh, look, a pig just flew by! And there are thousand-dollar bills growing off that tree…

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Once Was Blind…

Chapter 6: Tenshi no Kuro

The five younger DigiDestined weren't having the best month.

There was definitely something wrong happening, but they couldn't quite figure out what it was or who was causing it.

The way it all happened, it was almost like a plague. Whole regions of the Digital World could be infected overnight, and they had no way of curing it. Everything about the areas infected grew…darker. It was as though someone had decreased the contrast to the screen of a television or computer. And the Digimon in the area grew more vicious, more…evil.

There were a few Digimon that managed to escape the effect, but they couldn't tell them much of anything. There were two items all those unaffected connected to the effects: A black horse and a human with red eyes.

So, naturally, they were at a complete loss.

~ * ~ * ~

T.K. yawned, rolling over in bed. Keeping his eyes closed, he groped for the dark glasses and slid them on. Then he opened his eyes to glance around the room.

It was Saturday, the sun was filtering in from the window, illuminating the room around him. It looked just like it always did, slightly messy bed, slightly messy desk, posters hung semi-neatly on the walls…

He crawled out of bed, changing quickly out of his pajamas. His mother would be out all day, he knew that, and it was the perfect opportunity.

He reached over and gently shook Patamon out of his sleep. The orange-furred Digimon stirred, stretched like a cat and yawned at the top of his lungs. "G'moring, T.K…" he muttered sleepily, taking flight.

"You ready to go?" T.K. patted his friend on the head, handing him a warmed-up roll. The Digimon scarfed it down, nodding and landed on his partner's head.

In a few moments, they had transferred through the gate and into the Digital World. T.K. sighed, removing the glasses and brushing his hair back. Now he was dressed quite differently than before…a plain black, long-sleeved shirt and dark blue jeans, with boots and two small, sliver armbands. The shirt had a hood to it, one that he would pull up when they came close to familiar places, incase anyone could recognize him.

He turned and stroked the Armor-evolved Patamon. The DigiEgg, too, had changed…it must have had something to do with the D-X. He was no longer a yellow horse, clothed in gold. Now he was pale white, with a black mane, mighty black wings and armor made of onyx. Technically, he was no longer Pegasusmon, but rather was now Negasusmon.

"Alright then." he sighed, mounting. "Let's get going. You ready?"

"Whenever you are." the Digimon sounded a bit depressed.

T.K. raised an eyebrow, stroking his neck. "What's wrong? Are you sick or something?"

"…I'm worried about you." he turned his head to look at his partner. "Are you sure you're alright? Are you sure that guy didn't…do anything to you?"

T.K. sighed, patting him comfortingly. "Don't you worry about that." he soothed. "I'm fine, really…This is the best thing that could have happened…"

The black horse took to the air, still in a quiet silence. He held his tounge a moment, then looked back again. "Are you sure we shouldn't have told the others?"

"They wouldn't understand." T.K. pulled his hood over his head, so that the only things that could be clearly seen were the bright, red eyes. "Don't worry…come on, let's get with it."

~ * ~ * ~

The lush Emerald Forest was one of the most beautiful places in the Digital World. The trees were not only as green as emeralds, rather, the leaves were made of emeralds. And the village located within it thrived on the local spring, as well as the selling of the fallen emeralds.

Yolei shaded her eyes a bit, squinting. "Man, it's so bright in here you almost need sunglasses!" she groaned.

"Don't worry." piped one of the Digimon that lived here…a greener species of Floramon known as Emeramon. "That only happens for a little while around lunch time. In a few minutes it'll all be fine."

As she spoke, the sun moved a little to the west and the bright green light disappeared. Davis lifted his goggles back away from his eyes. "Wow…That was kinda cool."

"Beautiful…" Kari whispered.

"Yeah, it was great. But it isn't why we're here." Cody nodded seriously, and looked over at Ken. "Are we sure the black horse was seen coming this way?"

"According to his map-out Izzy made, then yeah." Ken held a piece of paper, showing the grid-like map of the Digital World. There were white and black scattered across the grids. "He's moving in a pattern, starting from one edge and moving in in a spiral. This is the next area in his path."

"Great!" Davis slammed his fist into his other hand. "I'm ready to give that creep a piece of my mind!"

"Yeah!" Veemon piped in agreement.

Kari made a bit of a sighing noise under her breath, gazing off into the distance. Gatomon looked up at her, concerned. "Kari? What's wrong?"

"…It's nothing, really." she sighed, brushing her bangs back. "I've just got this…strange feeling…"

She shook her head, attempting to clear her thoughts. "I guess it's just strange trying to find a bad guy without T.K. here…"

The others didn't say anything, but they all felt the short pang inside when she said that. Apparently, not being able to go to the Digital World had been taken as more of an insult than they'd thought. Even Patamon refused to speak to them now, apparently slighted as well.

A shrill, high-pitched trumpeting noise suddenly rang over the sparkling trees. Those sitting leapt to their feet, and those standing went to rigid attention. It was a signal from the Emeramon deeper in the forest.

"He's coming." Yolei whispered.

"Let's go." Davis nodded, and the flashings of Digivolution filled the clearing.

~ * ~ * ~

"Uh…T.K.?"

"Yeah?" the boy leaned down to hear his friend, keeping his eyes on the D-X strapped to his arm. It was beeping slowly, scanning the area with a blood-red beam.

"What're we looking for, anyway?" the black-armored horse turned his head to look back at his partner.

"I have…no idea." the boy shrugged. "But, thanks to this…we should know when we find it."

The Digimon made a slight neighing noise, tossing his head back uneasily. The area touched by that red beam came out…differently. It was darker…colder…

There was a familiar rushing noise. Both human and partner looked up as three familiar Digimon…in white, red and green…rose out of the trees in front of them. Two more, blue and yellow, began crashing through the ones just below them.

"Oh no…" Negasusmon whispered in shock. "The guys…T.K., we can't…!"

"Shh." his partner urged quietly, patting his neck. He pulled the hood further over his head, hiding any recognizable features. "Remember, don't call me that around anyone we know…It's Tenchi Kuro."

"But…We can't." the Digimon whispered. "They're our friends! We can't fight them!"

"No, we can't." he agreed, glancing around and shutting off the beam. "Head for the trees…I've got a better idea."

"…You promise we're not gonna hurt anybody?" 

"I promise, Patamon." he gently stroked his neck. "I'm not sinking to that level."

With that, the horse killed their speed and they dropped into the trees.

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TBC.

Cliffhanger.

I am evil…yes I am. I swear, by everything I can think of, I am trying as hard as I can to get the next chapter done. However, seeing as it's been a struggle not to just give up on some of these, it will still probably take a while…like, at least a month. Probably more, if I don't get ideas…HINT HINT. PLLLLLEEEAAASSSEEE_ give me some ideas! I'll be eternally grateful, and it will get the chapter out faster, too! Well…until then. Later, ya'll._

*~GS~*


	7. Hiding in Shadows

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--'…It's SUPPOSED to be 'Tenshi Kuro', not 'Tenshi Kurai'. The reason? I didn't want it to be 'Dark Angel' in the first place… Kuro _means black. There's a reason for this: The one thing T.K. hates more than anything is darkness. So why would he call himself 'Dark Angel'? It's 'Black Angel'. _**BLACK**_, not dark. Okay? Okay…_

Something I forgot to add to my last chapter…'Emerald Forest' is actually the name of the street I live on. Just a fun little fact there…I hope you guys like this!

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Disclaimer: I don't own anything Digimon, though I wish I did…

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Once Was Blind

Chapter 7: Hiding in Shadows

Kari gripped the edge of Nefertimon's armor as her partner lifted into the air. The wind rushed past her ears and she was brushed by a few twigs and leaves, but soon they had cleared the trees and entered the open air.

"There he is!" Yolei called from her perch on Aquilamon's back. She was pointing at the black-winged horse, it's dark-cloaked rider looking at them with eyes they could tell were red from here.

Ken leaned out to squint towards the figures. He was riding Aquilamon as well, and to lean out like this he had to increase his grip on Yolei's waist, much to the girl's delight.

"I can't tell what the guy looks like." he muttered, looking over at his partner. "Can you tell what kind of Digimon that is, Stingmon?"

"It almost looks like Pegasusmon." the green bug-humanoid buzzed. "But it's different, so that can't be right. I can't tell what it is."

"It doesn't matter what it is!" Davis called from below. He and Cody were riding on their respective earth-bound Digimon. "We've gotta take care of that guy!"

Kari looked back at their 'opponent', just as the black horse suddenly killed his speed and dropped back into the trees. "He's trying to get away!" Nefertimon called.

"But we haven't even started fighting yet." Cody looked confused.

"He must have heard of us ahead of time." X-Veemon growled. "And he's scared of us, so naturally he runs away."

"Somehow, I doubt that's it." Cody muttered. "He must have some kind of plan, we should stick together."

"I don't think that's best strategy here." Ken muttered. "If he really is trying to run away, we'll never find him if we stay together. And if he's setting a trap, we'll be walking right in for him to get us all at once. I say we split up and search for him, and if anyone gets in trouble or sees this 'Tenshi Kuro', make some sort of a signal. Okay?"

No one else had a better idea.

****

. . . . . .

Kari and Nefertimon walked calmly through the woods, the girl's hand on her partner's shoulder. Both of them glanced about through the trees in the slightest anxiety, feeling a bit ill.

"I don't see anything." Kari sighed. "What about you?"

"Nothing." Nefertimon shook her head, then suddenly went rigid.

Kari looked up. "What's wrong?"

"…There's something coming…"

Kari spun around at the small 'crack'. She braced a hand on Nefertimon's armor, both of them tensing.

"Who's there?" he demanded, glancing about her nervously. "C-Come on out, and I'm warning you, no funny business!"

There were footsteps around them. Someone, walking slowly, as though watching them from the trees. It was unnerving, and there was only one suspect of what it could be.

"Nefertimon…" Kari said slowly. "Call the others. Hurry."

The white Digimon nodded, rearing back to face into the trees. "Rosetta Stone!" she exclaimed, and the two heavy stones exploded in the air, the smoke rising to make a symbol high above the trees.

Kari watch the signal with a kind of relief, still braced for some kind of attack. There was a rustle from her right. She spun around and froze.

She was looking straight into two vaguely-glowing, crimson red eyes. They pulsed and swirled in their orbs like pools of blood. But even so close, they were the only thing about him she could see clearly. The rest of his face was all but hidden in the shadows of his black hood. The baggy, sweat-shirt-like sleeves only showed his hands, and his jeans ended at black tennis shoes. A single glance at the black-armored horse behind him and she knew who he was.

The boy who called himself Black Angel…Tenshi no Kuro.

Eyes still locked, he took a step towards her. She hesitated a moment, then focused her best excuse for a glare and spoke.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "Why are you doing this to the Digital World?"

The boy smirked and shrugged, taking another step towards her. His eyes seamed to be teasing her, and shown slightly.

"Kari, be careful." Nefertimon warned as he took another step towards her.

Kari put her hand on the white Digimon's neck, not taking her eyes off the stranger. "I know Tenshi Kuro can't be your real name. So tell me who you are."

He smirked again. "It's really not that important, is it?" he said airily. His voice sounded…familiar, but gruff, as though he had a sore throat or a cough.

She blinked, a bit thrown off. "Do…Do I…know you?"

He was close now…way too close. Close enough that she had to look up slightly to keep gazing into his eyes. But for some reason, she was not afraid. She was…excited. Her heart was beating so fast…

"You don't need to know me." he whispered. "I'll only warn you once…Don't get in my way."

"Kari!" another male voice broke the spell, and she snapped her head around.

"Davis…"

The dark-cloaked boy frowned and, in one swift motion, cupped her face in his hand and pressed his lips to hers. She mumbled in surprise as Nefertimon reared back protectively, but in seconds it was over and he was gone. Flown away on his black armored horse.

Kari in a slight state of shock, dropped down to her knees. She stared straight ahead, bushing two fingers against her lips momentarily. "…Wow…"

"Kari!" Davis burst through the trees, Yolei and the others just behind him. He was glaring at the black form, now just a small black spot in the sun-set painted sky.

Yolei knelt next to her DNA partner, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Kari, are you alright?"

"I'm…fine." Kari let the other girl help her back to her feet. "Really…I'm just fine."

Ken shielded his eyes, trying to get a better look at Tenshi Kuro. Davis spun around, glancing Kari over. "Did that guy do anything to you?!" he demanded.

Kari felt a blush rise into her cheeks. "N-No." she lied, straight-faced as she could. "Nothing…I swear you guys, nothing happened…"

****

. . . . . .

"…T.K.?"

"Mm-hm?" the boy answered mildly, still lost in thought.

Negasusmon/Patamon turned his head to look back at him as they flew towards the Digiport. "What was that all about? Back there with Kari?"

T.K. snapped out of his daze and frowned when he thought about it. In truth, he had no idea what he had just done…he's mostly acted on a whim.

Negasusmon gave him a sad smile with his eyes. "…You miss her, don't you, T.K.?"

The frown deepened as all-too-recent, painful memories crossed his mind. "I…don't want to." he whispered. "But…I guess I do."

The Digimon sighed, tossing his head back sleepily. "Let's go home, T.K." he muttered. "I think we both need a rest."

**__**

TBC…

(Sigh)…Not my best chapter. Oh well. It's okay, all things considered, right? …Right?


End file.
